Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-09-21

'ul OF earth that may Oe laken upany-
where. in bad crop years the people look
for gold, particularly in seasons OF ex-
trcme drought. The water-courses
shrink to threads, and the soil in their
beds is carried away and carefully
PANIED for gold. In Ophir and Ell
Dorado townships every inhabitant en-
cages in this practice, and at the small
est country store will De found scales
for weighing gold-dust. People can do
this simple placer mining in this print
tive way on land owned by others, pay
ing a fifth of the gold found. That is
the rule in such cases. This sort of
mining is known as "petty" mining.
Small business as it is 1t has in many
bad seasons saved the people from
want. So the gold crop is, after all,
good and useful one. it is not gene
rally known that the finest mining plant
in tie State is in Montgomery. It is
at the Appalachian Mine. and cost
100000.
The deepest gold-mine in the State is
Cold Hill in Rowan county, which is
down 40 feet. Opened about 1924, it
VAS for years the great mine of this
pant Of the world, and has record OF
over %, 100000. In those early days the
most primitive appliances were used in
setting out the ore. There were five
oWuors, and the weeks work-the net
proht-was represented in a great bar
OF bullion. This was cut with an axe
into five pieces. Some disinterested
party then placed the pieces behind
him, and, holding one in his hand,
cried out: "WhO takes this?" 1t was
given the owner who called for it, and
so on until all fives pieces were divided.
Some times each share was worth
81, Gee, making a yield Of, say, S240,0 900
annually. Englishmen have for years
owned this mine, three companies hay
ing successfully held it and operated
it. Another 100000 is now being
raised i'll London to prosecute the work
further.
To-day there are at the white
department OF the State Institu-
ton for the Deaf and Dumb and the
Blind fity-fve blind pupils and sixty
four deaf mutes. There will be sixty
blind in a few days, and this will be
the largest number ever in this institu-
ton at once. Other deaf mutes are
also expected. In the colored depart
ment the attendance to-day is eighteen
blind and tWeniy-four deaf muies. The
coiored pupils as a rule arrive slowly.
Heretofore pupils have been transport
cd 1T rate of a cent q mile. but this
year the rate is raised to . cen. AMI n
lall. ibis is hard upon the poor pu-
rl!s who endeavor to defray their ira
Yelling expenses.
The Primitive Eapii,ts will hold a
great annual camp.mceting near Wake
Forest College next Friday, Saturday,
and Sunday. Thousands will be pres
ent from all this part Of the State.
The people of Asheyille emulate the
public spirit of those Of Durham i'll
regard to the railways. On the 9th
they will hold n great mass-meeting to
consider the calling OF an election on
the question OF subscribing 5000, 900 10
two railways. They will provide pub
lie dinner for 5000 people on that day.
Asheville Is now nick named "the
North Carolina Birmingham"
The cent-a-mile rate to the State Fair
has been secured, and the authorities
are now right at work to make the fair
o credit to the State. The demand for
space will be great and has already be-
gun. The spacious exposition build
Inc will be utilized. In it the State
will have a display of many thousand
crude products tastefnlly arranged.
Major Il. S. Tucker, of this city,
tried an experiment on one hundred
and seven acres of upland, very poor
and worn out, near here. He placed
on 1t fifty bushels of oyster shells,
burned, to the acre. The cost of the
shells as thus placed on the land WAS
about nine cents per bushel. The Of
feet is surprising. While other crops
OF cotton have fallen off from 20 to %
per cent, as compared with July LIST,
bis cotton gains III quantity, and COM
petent judges are sure will yield 100
bales to the one hundred and seven
acres. The cotton is SO heavily fruited
and large as to stalk as to be a curios-
ity. Major Tucker says the lime pro-
duces this effect.
Yesterday near Castle Hayne, Pen
der county, James Wilbert, o negro,
quaIreled with his wife. Suddenly in
fit of violent passion he seized his
baby, which lay on the floor, and threw
it out of the window. Without a mo-
meht's pause he rushed at his wife,
seized her, and taking razor from his
pocket cut her throat he then fed
The woman was not quite dead AMI
crawled to the house Of neIghbor.
She was unable to speak and expired
vt the door. She had bled to death.
The child was not seriously hurt by
being thrown from the window. Search
was made for the murderer in the
vicinity. Mayor Fowler, of Whining
ton, was at point on the turnpike
road some miles distant when negro
passed him. The latter was identified
as Wilbert and was ordered to halt.
He fed and was fired at four times by
Mayor Fowler. Wilbert took to the
woods and fed in the direction OF
South Carolina. He was seen later al
Meare's Bluff, two miles from Whining.
ton.
A fire at Newberne burned A. Har-
vey's turpentine distillery and an old
warehouse of the Neuse and Trent
River Steamboat Company. The total
loss is about 81, $50 to Harvey and the
steamboat company. A quantity OF
salt in the warehouse owned by John
Spencer and Ottinger Brothers was
lost. A new warehouse and quantity
of cotton were saved by great efforts.
Governor Scales to-day pardoned
Calvin Tatum, a white man, who was
sent TO the penitentiary last year from
Johnston county for three years for lar.
ceny.
Peraon'street Methodist Episcopal
L "a . . =.